A woman seen making racist gestures in a viral doorbell camera video outside an apartment shared by three Black University of Mississippi students has been identified and has issued a public apology, WMC Action News 5 in Memphis reported. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News also carried the report.
The woman, Alaina Kunes, said in a statement to Action News 5 that her actions were "insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful." She said she has apologized to the women who live in the apartment and plans to cooperate with the university's investigation.
The university confirmed to the station on Tuesday that Kunes is "no longer a student." It was not clear whether she withdrew or was removed.
The Ring doorbell video, recorded Nov. 6 in Oxford, shows three white women walking past the apartment's front door. Two of them appear to mimic monkey behavior and noises as they pass. Kunes is the first woman seen in the video. The second woman who made the gestures has not been identified or come forward, according to the report.
In her statement, Kunes said she had never met the residents and did not know their race before the incident. "I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them and it was never my intention," she said. She also said she and her family have received death threats and harassment, and she asked for privacy.
The video belongs to the daughter of Tasha Bolton, who first contacted Action News 5. Bolton's daughter is a Black freshman at Ole Miss who shares the off-campus apartment with two Black roommates. The university said it leases student housing at the complex.
In a statement released Sunday, Ole Miss condemned the behavior and said it had reached out to the students to offer resources and support. The school said the matter is under investigation and that student conduct records are protected by federal privacy law. Bolton has said the family has hired an attorney and plans to make a statement.
Sources: WMC Action News 5; WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News; University of Mississippi